Current methods for inspecting grout are slow, expensive and have significant health and safety issues and also can cause damage to the structure that is inspected. Conventional solutions such as a guided wave inspection method may work well to detect flaws on structures such as pin piles but need a lot of historical data and reference data sets to determine the condition of the grouting in the jacket pin piles. When it comes to grouting, the only alternative inspection method that would work is radiography. Inspections of turbines in a windfarm may be accomplished with a crew transfer diving vessel (CTV) but that is expensive and typically a diving operation does not conduct multiple tasks during an inspection regime.
The grout joint for a monopile foundation sits between the transition piece and the foundation on offshore wind turbines. It is typically formed of high-density concrete between two steel walls. Grout joints have caused significant problems for wind farm operators and are of concern for most of the early offshore wind monopile fleets. There are currently no means of accessing grout for visual inspection. Current methods for inspecting grout are slow, expensive and have significant health and safety-related issues. They can also be damaging to the structure.